ARTICLES ABOUT CENTREVILLE BY DATE - PAGE 3

CENTREVILLE -- In the heart of this Eastern Shore county seat, bells still peal in the clock tower, interrupted sometimes by the siren at the Goodwill Volunteer Fire Department. Stately Victorians line the streets surrounding the 200-year-old courthouse. Parking meters take nickels. But drive a mile in either direction, and the town looks squeezed, hemmed in by new housing developments that have caused the population to swell by several hundred people, to 2,600. The two-lane highway through town, Route 213, carries bumper-to-bumper traffic at times.

Willis K. Palmer, a retired welder and former Dundalk resident, died of Parkinson's disease Wednesday at his home in Centreville, Queen Anne's County. He was 90. Mr. Palmer was born and raised in Coatesville, Pa. After graduating from high school in 1934, he moved to Dundalk to work as a welder at Bethlehem Steel Corp.'s Sparrows Point plant. He retired in 1978. "At Sparrows Point, he was known as the Michelangelo of welding," said his daughter, Sandra M. Kessler of Marietta, Ga. Mr. Palmer attended the Johns Hopkins University, and he lived in Dundalk for 68 years before moving to Centreville in 2002.

On May 3, 2006, WILLIS KEITH PALMER of Centreville, MD; beloved husband of Marjorie Palmer (nee May); loving father of Robert Palmer and wife, Bonnie of Silver Spring, MD, Sandra M. Kessler and husband, Richard of Marietta, GA and Keith Palmer of Centreville, MD; dear brother of Peggy Cummons; also survived by eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Viewing will be held on Saturday, May 6, 2006 from 2 - 4 PM at the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P.A., Centreville, MD. Burial will be private.

CENTREVILLE -- Sveinn Storm's late father taught him when he was a boy to fight for what he believes in. "My father taught me that sometimes righting a wrong is worth getting a black eye or a bloody nose," he said. It's a principle the 50-year-old Centreville resident has followed - perhaps too enthusiastically, his critics say - as he has carved out a career as the Eastern Shore's unofficial environmental sleuth. The owner of two downtown Annapolis businesses, he is part Robin Hood, part James Bond, and always on the trail of those he thinks are polluting.

CENTREVILLE -- A Queen Anne's County grand jury has concluded that an aging sewage treatment plant here was grossly mismanaged for years but found no evidence of criminal wrong- doing. In its report, the jury criticized the Maryland Department of the Environment for relying too heavily on self-reporting by town employees of sewage discharges. The panel outlined a half-dozen recommendations for increasing scrutiny on small municipal plants, including hiring more inspectors and stepping up random and unannounced inspections.

On Thursday, April 13, 2006, ROSEMARY BUTLER of Ellicott City, MD, formerly of Baltimore, MD; dear sister of John C. Butler, Sr. of Fayetteville, PA, also survived by 7 nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P. A., Centreville, MD on Tuesday, April 18, 2006 at 1:00 PM where friends and family may call one hour prior to the service. Burial will be in Chesterfield Cemetery, Centreville, MD.www.fhnfuneralhome.com.

On Sunday, March 19, 2006, MARCIA RAY SIMMONS of Centreville, beloved wife of Raymond "Bob" Simmons, devoted mother of Catherine Lawson of Baltimore and Barrett Adams-Simmons of Arlington, VA; loving grandmother of Abigail and Amanda Lawson of Baltimore. Friends are invited to her interment, which will be held at 2:00 PM on Saturday, April 1, 2006 in the garden of her residence, Reed Creek Farm. Memorial donations may be sent to "Adult Cancer Research" at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center One Charles Center; 100 North Charles Street, Suite 234; Baltimore, MD 21201, USA; Phone (410)

On Monday, March 13, 2006, PHILLIP W. CROCKETT of Easton, MD; beloved husband of Brenda J. (nee Harrison) Crockett; devoted father of Timothy Crockett of Baltimore, Bobby Crockett of Chestertown and Jenny Gardner of Centreville; loving grandfather of Jeffrey and Josh Gardner and Abby Jane and Max Crockett. Funeral services will be held at the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P. A., Centreville, MD on Friday, March 17, 2006 at 1:00 where friends may call from 12-1. Burial at Woodlawn Memorial Park, Easton, MD. Memorial donations may be made to Lewy Body Demenita Assoc.

John Malcolm Ashley Jr., a former Queen Anne's County commissioner and Democratic member of the House of Delegates, died Monday of lung and heart disease. He was 77. Mr. Ashley wanted to spend his last days at home on the Eastern Shore, not in a hospital bed. As he was being transported by ambulance from Washington Hospital Center to Centreville, he died on the Eastern Shore side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. His two sons were with him. Mr. Ashley, known as Jack, was born in Easton and grew up helping his father with the family's propane business, Ashley Gas Co. During World War II, with many of the community's young men serving abroad, Mr. Ashley got his driver's license at age 14 so that he could help his father deliver gas, his son said.